Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A Campbell River mother and her special needs adult daughter are one
of the first families to test the waters of the new revamped services
from Community Living B.C.

Victoria Allen and her special needs adult daughter Becky have become
one of the first two "test cases" according to David Hurford, Director
of Communications for Community Living BC (CLBC).

Allen had to stop working to care for her daughter 24/7 and repeated
and exhaustive attempts to get this corrected fell on deaf ears, she
said.

"It was one meeting after another, one email after another, one phone
call after another, all with no answers , just more delays, more "no's"
more frustration, mixed messages," she says.

Allen was getting desperate because she had a permanent job offer and
did not think she could take it unless CLBC put services back in place
for her daughter so she could work.

Allen's Becky has multiple disabilities and requires daily care and
supervision. When she turned 19, the responsibility for her care shifted
from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) to CLBC
which funds support services for adults and youth who have developmental
delays and learning disabilities.

Up to October 2012, Allen received support through a funding agreement
with CLBC. While Allen used to work while Becky was in a day program
and respite care, "as of Nov. 23 everything was gone" she said.

"CLBC wanted to move Becky out of my home and into a home share," said Victoria.
"For the past year and a half everything was great," said Allen.
"Becky has been having less seizures, hardly needs to use her walker
anymore, and is so happy, very affectionate with me. It is the happiest
and most at peace she has been in a long time. Then they told me her
only options under CLBC funding were home share or a staffed home. So
they wanted to move her out of her home with me and into a situation
that would cause her stress and set-backs."

Through a series of failed attempts after being placed in living
situations away from home while Becky was growing up, her mother says
that her health and safety were neglected and put at risk.

"She had been physically and verbally abused, isolated, and stressed,"
said Allen. "And again they wanted to take her out of our home and move
her into a home share where it would cost a lot more than what it does
not to keep her with me."

The funding she received paid for the trained caregivers required to
keep Becky living at home, and attending a day program part time, while
her mother worked. Funding also paid for a respite care provider to take
Becky two weekends a month. The funding was paid directly to the care
providers.

"Without the funds CLBC was paying to Becky's care providers, I have
to drive her where she needs to go, pick her up, supervise her, take her
to the doctors, I am with her 24/7. I cannot work under these
conditions," said Allen.

But instead of renewing the agreement that was already in place and
working, Allen says she was told to take out a personal loan to pay for
her daughter's care.

Hurford says that the Allen case is one of the first to test the
waters since the new and improved quality service measures have been
implemented but Allen continues to feel the stress of being set adrift
by CLBC and waiting for help to come.

Allen reports that currently there have been some services put in
place since the Courier Islander contacted CLBC, but said Becky had
already been injured from a fall when she had a seizure on the first day
she left her with a caregiver and went to work. "I still have nothing
in writing, they tell me everything takes time, everything is
complicated. I am working for now, but I don't know how this is going to
end up."